Oral and Gut Microbial Diversity and Immune Regulation in Patients with HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy.

Despite evidence of a chronic inflammatory phenotype in people living with HIV (PLWH) on antiretroviral therapy (ART), the role of oral microbiota in chronic immune activation has not been fully explored. We aimed to determine the relationship between oral and gut microbiome diversity and chronic systemic inflammation in ART-treated PLWH with prevalent severe periodontitis, an inflammatory condition commonly associated with HIV infection. We assessed bacterial and fungal communities at oral and gastrointestinal sites in a cohort ( = 52) of primarily postmenopausal women on ART using 16S rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing and measured cellular and soluble markers of inflammation and immune dysfunction.

miR-155 Overexpression in OT-1 CD8 T Cells Improves Anti-Tumor Activity against Low-Affinity Tumor Antigen.

Therapy by adoptive transfer of -expanded tumor-infiltrating or genetically modified T cells may lead to impressive clinical responses. However, there is a need to improve persistence and functionality of the transferred T cells, in particular, to face the highly immunosuppressive environment of solid tumors. Here, we investigate the potential of miR-155, a microRNA known to play an important role in CD8 T cell fitness.

Human T cell response to CD1a and contact dermatitis allergens in botanical extracts and commercial skin care products.

During industrialization, humans have been exposed to increasing numbers of foreign chemicals. Failure of the immune system to tolerate drugs, cosmetics, and other skin products causes allergic contact dermatitis, a T cell-mediated disease with rising prevalence. Models of αβ T cell response emphasize T cell receptor (TCR) contact with peptide-MHC complexes, but this model cannot readily explain activation by most contact dermatitis allergens, which are nonpeptidic molecules.

MicroRNA-155 Expression Is Enhanced by T-cell Receptor Stimulation Strength and Correlates with Improved Tumor Control in Melanoma.

microRNAs are short noncoding RNAs that regulate protein expression posttranscriptionally. We previously showed that miR-155 promotes effector CD8 T-cell responses. However, little is known about the regulation of miR-155 expression.

TCR-ligand dissociation rate is a robust and stable biomarker of CD8+ T cell potency.

Despite influencing many aspects of T cell biology, the kinetics of T cell receptor (TCR) binding to peptide-major histocompatibility molecules (pMHC) remain infrequently determined in patient monitoring or for adoptive T cell therapy. Using specifically designed reversible fluorescent pMHC multimeric complexes, we performed a comprehensive study of TCR-pMHC off-rates combined with various functional assays on large libraries of self/tumor- and virus-specific CD8+ T cell clones from melanoma patients and healthy donors. We demonstrate that monomeric TCR-pMHC dissociation rates accurately predict the extent of cytotoxicity, cytokine production, polyfunctionality, cell proliferation, activating/inhibitory receptor expression, and in vivo antitumor potency of naturally occurring antigen-specific CD8+ T cells.

Rationale for immunological approaches to breast cancer therapy.

Despite great advances in early detection, as well as surgical resection of breast tumours, breast cancer remains the deadliest cancer for women worldwide. Moreover, its incidence is without pair, accounting for twice as many new cancer cases as the second most prevalent cancer, colorectal carcinoma. There is therefore a strong need for new therapeutic approaches to breast cancers.

MicroRNA-155 is required for effector CD8+ T cell responses to virus infection and cancer.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the function of several immune cells, but their role in promoting CD8(+) T cell immunity remains unknown. Here we report that miRNA-155 is required for CD8(+) T cell responses to both virus and cancer. In the absence of miRNA-155, accumulation of effector CD8(+) T cells was severely reduced during acute and chronic viral infections and control of virus replication was impaired.